Boom! Studios 2016
Written by Steve Orlando
Illustrated by Jakub Rebelka
Lettered by Thomas Mauer
Once every seven years, Earth overlaps with Ektae, a world where alchemy is not pseudo-science but the driving force of industry. For seven days, Ektae breaches our world, bringing dirty magic and ideas. Jordan Molossus was born of Earth and Ektae and abandoned by both, but when he receives two cast iron urns containing his estranged fathers' ashes, he'll leave everything behind to put his parents to rest before Ektae disappears for another seven years.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this and seeing the interiors I thought it would a lot more trippy than it was. The brightness really kind of showcases this festival that comes once every seven years. It’s also where we meet Jordan Molossus, a firefighter who’s awfully busy on this night because of the festival with all kinds of magical fires during the celebrations. It’s also where we learn a tad bit more about his past. It’s not exactly what we expect but hey it adds to the drama and mystique of the character.
I like the pacing of this issue as it doesn’t waste time in getting into it. Jordan receives a package from his mother and his origins start to come into play. Turns out his parents were not dead like he believed instead something happened that caused his mother to give him up when he was very young. One parent from each world he’s a man out of touch without a home to call his own and no real knowledge of his family. So this story becomes one about self-discovery in pretty much every way you can think of.
There’s a lot going on here and it flows incredibly well throughout the issue. It gives us a chance to become involved in what’s happening and yet keeps enough back to maintain that air of intrigue so we want to discover everything alongside Jordan. He’s a very interesting man with a decent amount knowledge lodged in his brain. We also see he’s sensitive about his parentage and he’s got something of a temper so this journey should be very interesting to see unfold indeed.
The interiors are great Jakub has a very unique style and it really works well for this tale. Jordan has this look about him that is kind of an everyman appearance that blends well into the crowd and still kinda stands out at the same time. The flow through the page layouts with angles and perspective are nicely done. Personally i’d like to see more backgrounds in use as they really do wonders in fleshing out scenes.
This is a solid book it’s got an interesting premise and who doesn’t enjoy watching a man find himself when he’s of two worlds and doesn’t truly belong to either one? It’s very solid B folks and it’s something you take a look at it may surprise you!